Hopefully going Solar

[ShelbyGirl1]

Originally Posted by brichard

I'm thinking of going solar myself, but have no idea what it might cost. I have a 1,000 sq. ft house with a flat roof. Can anybody ballpark what that might cost?

Your best bet would be to come get someone out to give you a free quote. There are too many factors involved. Type roof, how many and what type of panels, what percentage electricity do you want to produce, installation and how easy, according to where your equipment is to be placed. Buy or lease....the factors are endless.

[sdjimbob]

Originally Posted by brichard

I'm thinking of going solar myself, but have no idea what it might cost. I have a 1,000 sq. ft house with a flat roof. Can anybody ballpark what that might cost?

General cost for a 5 kW purchased system w/o batteries seems to be in the mid to high $20k range.

[brichard]

Originally Posted by sdjimbob

General cost for a 5 kW purchased system w/o batteries seems to be in the mid to high $20k range.

Thanks! That's helpful to know as I'm just looking for a rough idea.

Originally Posted by ShelbyGirl1

Your best bet would be to come get someone out to give you a free quote. There are too many factors involved. Type roof, how many and what type of panels, what percentage electricity do you want to produce, installation and how easy, according to where your equipment is to be placed. Buy or lease....the factors are endless.

Thank you. I didn't realize it was so complicated.

[iwaboy]

Solar City bid ours. We just got approval from our HOA. Our system is 4.7kW and the cost is roughly $22K.

We are not going the PPA route, we are buying ours.

[mricu]

For those that go with SolarCity on their pay per usage program (they claim $15/kW and increases about 3% per year) ... can you clarify how that works as the rep at Home Depot couldn't answer any of our questions. I guess general questions are:

1) You are locked in for 20-30 years, is it a lien on your mortgage that they put on, or more like a cell phone contract .. no collateral?

2) Is it a fixed cost per month for your system where they gaurantee you a certain amount of output from the panels, and any overage in energy used you pay to SDG&E, anything under, you get a credit (energy wise, not money wise)?

3) What happens if you move? Do the new owners assume ownership of the panels?

4) What happens after your contract is up? Do you own the panels and enjoy free energy, or are the panels returned to SolarCity?

5) In the event of SolarCity going bankrupt, what happens to the equipment and contract?

6) Are there other companies that offer the same type of program SolarCity is offering?

Any additional tips and advice on SolarCity are appreciated.

[Certified Inspection]

Originally Posted by mricu

For those that go with SolarCity on their pay per usage program (they claim $15/kW and increases about 3% per year) ... can you clarify how that works as the rep at Home Depot couldn't answer any of our questions. I guess general questions are:

1) You are locked in for 20-30 years, is it a lien on your mortgage that they put on, or more like a cell phone contract .. no collateral?

2) Is it a fixed cost per month for your system where they gaurantee you a certain amount of output from the panels, and any overage in energy used you pay to SDG&E, anything under, you get a credit (energy wise, not money wise)?

3) What happens if you move? Do the new owners assume ownership of the panels?

4) What happens after your contract is up? Do you own the panels and enjoy free energy, or are the panels returned to SolarCity?

5) In the event of SolarCity going bankrupt, what happens to the equipment and contract?

6) Are there other companies that offer the same type of program SolarCity is offering?

Any additional tips and advice on SolarCity are appreciated.

I've heard that it can be a problem when you sell. The buyer has to "qualify" to take over the lease. That turns a lot of people off.